Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Autumn Days

  Mon 26 Sep 2016 M. Purdy

  As the evenings draw in ever earlier and the morning sun becomes weaker, we begin to appreciate the glorious signs of Autumn in our school grounds. Indeed, our local fox has been scavenging around the school grounds at night, leaving his unwelcome little parcels! Hopefully, the daddy longlegs and wasp season is almost over too-they're a great distraction for any class full of excited children.

   

  Percy the Park Keeper's shed has opened in Year 1 so his "helpers" will be trying to keep up with the chores he leaves them to do each day. There's always lots to do "After the Storm". 

   

  Harvest Assembly will be led by Year 5 on Thursday 29th September. We are collecting tinned and packeted in-date food for a local food bank so all contributions are appreciated.

   

  Engineers of the Future-a group of Yr 5 pupils are working towards the Schools Engineering Challenge to be held on 19th October. Using Meccano, they meet with volunteers from Shildon Railway Museum once a week in preparation for the challenge itself. The group are so enthusiastic that they ask to continue their work on their models during lunch breaks. Perhaps a Meccano Club is the way forward for our budding engineers.

   

  Secondary School Preferences-Sunderland have been experiencing many technical problems this term so their council website has been offline.  I understand these problems are now resolved. Don't forget that the closing date for your secondary school choices is 30th October so get your application in as soon as your decision is made.

   

  CASA Performing Arts launched their Seaburn Dene group last Monday evening. It takes place between 5.30 and 7.30pm so, if you are between 7 and 11 years old, have bundles of energy, love singing, dancing and drama then come along to our school hall on Monday evenings. And you don't have to attend Seaburn Dene Primary to to join.

   

  Snowdog Trail.... is now open! There are trails in Sunderland, Gateshead and Newcastle so seek out Dene, our beach themed dog. There are whispers that he may be down at the Glass Centre with dogs from some other Sunderland schools but why not spend a Sunday afternoon following a trail. There are some amazing dogs to discover and all are accessible by Metro. Click here for further information.

   

   

   

   

• Reading-Every Day

  Mon 19 Sep 2016 M.Purdy

  READING AT HOME

  Books are such a joy. They can transport the reader to different parts of the world, fantasy lands and different times, past and in the future. Books can make you laugh and cry. They teach you how to deal with social situations and right from wrong. Non fiction helps children to sort out how the world works whether they want to discover the world of nature or learn about Kings and Queens.

   

  It is school policy that every child should read to an adult at home every single day, with our very youngest children sharing picture books with you. It is so important that, towards the end of last year, we introduced a Rainbow Reading Award Scheme with children proudly accepting a certificate in assembly when they complete a colour.

   

  Many of our families are dedicated to supporting their children in becoming the best reader they can possibly be, listening to them each day and signing the Reading Log. However, there are too many children who are not supported by their families and do not read regularly. If you find it difficult, make it part of your routine by keeping to the same time every evening e.g arrive home, have a glass of milk then read aloud.  If your child forgets their book bag it is best to hear them from another book or comic and then sign a piece of paper. That will then count towards the Reading Rainbow Award Scheme.

   

  Let's all make this the Seaburn Dene Year of Reading.

   

  POETRY COMPETITIONS

  There were 23 wonderful entries for The Ivan Jones Amazing Poem Award. Today these entries are on their way to Shropshire for judging by Ivan then, the overall winner will be announced on National Poetry Day (Thursday 6th October). Congratulations to everyone who entered. The theme of a special present inspired poems that made me smile and poems that brought a tear to the eye. I don't envy Ivan's job as judge---I think he may have to enlist his family to help him to make a final decision.

   

  On National Poetry Day we will also be holding the school's annual poetry recital competition. This is its third year so we are expecting more entries than ever. The poem to learn was in your child's Summer holiday reading pack but Mr. Howe has promised he will put them online too. Last year Sarah (now in Year 6) won but she had some very close competition. Get learning everyone and good luck.

• A Litre of Light

  Mon 12 Sep 2016 M. Purdy

  Last week, artist Mick Stephenson and his two colleagues joined Year 5 for a day. Their task was to create part of a large ship installation for the Sunderland Illuminations. Each member of the class was asked to bring in a clean 2 litre plastic bottle then, with Sharpie felt tips, colour it in using simple patterns and finally attach a £1 torch to the top. (See photographs below) This simple but very effective idea created the most amazing kaleidoscope patterns on plain white paper and the white ceiling. It was an awesome moment, in the true meaning of the word. As they projected their glorious patterns, children's mouths were agape in delight. Our bottles will join those created by other children in Sunderland then, I believe the installation will be in Roker Park. We'll send out the details as soon as we have them.

   

  CONGRATULATIONS...

  to the members of the Running Club who entered the Junior Great North Run. I understand the course was challenging but you all showed grit and determination to "get the job done". Having spoken to a few of the runners, they seem focused on running  again next year to beat their own time. What a superb attitude.

   

  SCHOOL TRIPS

  On Wednesday this week Years 5 and 6 are spending the day at "The Centre for Life" to learn about the inner workings of animals. The workshops are centred around the rather gruesome "Animal Inside Out" exhibition. If you wish to read the trip letter please click here

   

  Next week Years 1 and 2 are spending a day at Durham Cathedral. In the morning they will be exploring the amazing space that is the cathedral and in the afternoon the riverside natural environment. Both workshops are to be led by Durham Cathedral Education Dept.

   

  KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE

  Next week we welcome the NSPCC into school. Every two years they provide a free service to schools by running an assembly for Key Stages 1 and 2 then workshops for Years 5 and 6 on the theme of children keeping themselves safe. Letters have been given to children in Years 1 to 6.

   

  IN 2016-17 WE ARE AIMING TO IMPROVE

  1. Science teaching: During 2016-17 staff will be having additional training in teaching science so that we can provide outstanding science teaching throughout the school. With the Government's focus on English and maths, a recent  paper written by Sir Michael Wilshaw, the Chief Inspector of Schools, found that nationally science is no longer a priority in schools. However, the leadership team at Seaburn Dene had already decided to have a focus on science in 2016-17 as we want to open up opportunities of every kind to our children. Our training with STEM science consultant Phil Watkins begins in 2 weeks.

   

  2. Reading- Reading is fundamental to learning in all subjects and has always been a focus at Seaburn Dene. It is a skill that benefits hugely from parents working alongside teachers and, for many years, we have had the expectation that everybody would read at home every night which means weekends and during holidays too. Our reading awards scheme is designed to encourage this, and although many families support the school by ensuring children have read each day at home, we still have families that do not. 

   

  To support children who need that little extra support, the school welcomes Robbie and his handler Nicky for "Bark and Read" each Friday and a team of enthusiastic helpers will listen to readers throughout the year. Thank you to the adults who offered to give up some of their free time to do this. The response to Mr. Howe's request was amazing. 

   

  In 2016 the reading comprehension tests in both Years 2 and 6 were much more difficult than they have been in the past and results across the country were very, very low. We were expecting the papers to be challenging so Mr. Howe, who leads English in the school,  joined a Sheffield group of schools to learn how to teach reading at mastery level. This is being trialled in years 4, 5 and 6 and, if children make the progress we are expecting them to make with this new approach, will introduce it to the rest of the school in 2017-18.

  

• We're Back!

  Mon 05 Sep 2016 M. Purdy

  Welcome To A New School Year

   

  It's mid afternoon on the first day of the school year and oh so quiet! Everyone seems to working very hard on maths, reading and even art. When I toured the school this morning your children looked beautifully pristine-I hope they return home equally clean but, as we had baked beans and chocolate mousse for lunch.....??? One or two were very proud to show me their new school shoes too.

   

  Congratulations to....

  Mr. Ashton who is now in the top 20 rankings British Amateur triathletes. No matter what sort of day Mr. Ashton has in  school or how much work he has to do at home, he finds a space to run, swim or cycle virtually every day. His heroes are the Brownlee twins and, following their Olympic success,  he is determined to climb up into the top 10 rankings within the next 12 months. It's a huge step for someone who works full time-what a fantastic example of Growth Mindset.

   

  Now is the time to put key dates on your family calendar!

  If you take a peek at the school online calendar you will find that our key events are all there including annual events such as World Book Day in March with the dressing up theme. It's always a good idea to input them onto your family calendar or you can upload the calendar into your smart phone.